Prague, March 16 (CTK) – The Czech government wants the return of migrants from Greece to Turkey to start working rapidly and this is part of the mandate with which Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD) will go to the forthcoming EU summit, Sobotka has said on Twitter.
The summit, scheduled for this Thursday and Friday, will discuss again the proposal Turkey submitted at the beginning of last week.
“The government has approved my mandate for the European Council. We want the return of migrants from Greece to Turkey to start working rapidly,” Sobotka said.
This is part of the steps Turks have proposed beyond the framework of the joint action plan from last autumn.
According to the proposal, the Turks would accept all the migrants who will get to the Greek islands illegally as from a certain date.
“The Czech government believes that this is a step in the right direction, especially because its implementation will disrupt the smugglers’ trade model and lower people’s readiness to set out on the dangerous path across the sea,” the government said in its press release.
For each Syrian refugee among them, the EU would receive another Syrian with the right to asylum from Turkey.
The agreement includes cooperation on improving the humanitarian conditions right in Syria so that both local residents and refugees could enjoy a greater security immediately there.
For the plan, Turkey demands three billion euros beyond the framework of the sum agreed on last November, a rapid introduction of visa-free contact and a discussion on the opening of new EU accession chapters.
A week ago, EU countries gave a preliminary go-ahead to the agreement at an extraordinary summit with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu.
The Czech state secretary for the EU, Tomas Prouza, told journalists that unlike the previous summit, this time all statesmen would go to Brussels with a mandate to conclude the agreement.
If consensus is reached, the system may start working within a week, Prouza said. “The agreement will only cover the new arrivals,” Prouza said.
The Czech Republic will demand at the forthcoming summit that the agreement with Turkey do not involve any new commitments for the member countries in the spheres of relocation and resettlement, the government said in the press release.
Based on the existing agreements of the EU member countries on resettlement and relocation, some 72,000 Syrians could come to Europe from Turkey.
However, it is not ruled out that some countries will accept more people voluntarily. Germany will offer free capacities.
Along with the agreement with Turkey, the summit will also deal with aid to Greece.
The Czech Republic is ready to help it in the form of expert consultancy in the hotspots and of humanitarian aid, the press release said.
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